Why Soy?

Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. After harvesting, the beans are cleaned, cracked, de-hulled, and rolled into flakes. The oil is then extracted from the flakes and hydrogenated.

The hydrogenation process converts some of the fatty acids in the oil from unsaturated to saturated. This process dramatically alters the melting point of the oil, making it a solid at room temperature. The leftover bean husks are commonly used as animal feed.

The U.S. grows the vast majority of the world’s soy beans, primarily in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana. In the past couple of years, Kent and Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom have also seen good results in producing large crops of Soy beans.

How is it used?

Soy wax is used by numerous candle makers includingEllie-Mae in a number of ways. It can be used in the production of candles, soaps and other beauty products. Ellie-Mae primarily uses it for our Candles.

What are the benefits?

Soy’s greatest advantage is that it is completely renewable. While the global reserves of oil shrink and paraffin prices increase, the only limit to the soy supply is how much we choose to grow. The soy Candle that you buy from Ellie-Mae today was likely in the ground less than a year ago. And chances are that same field is growing more soy for the candles to be made in the future.

In addition to sustainability, a well-made soy candle will burn cleanly and slowly, much to the delight of your customers. The performance and beauty of soy candles speak for themselves.